Dog Constipation Symptoms

1. Straining to pass feces.

2. Dog will feel uncomfortable when trying to pass feces.

What Causes Dog Constipation?

There are many different ways that constipation can cause dyschezia in your dog and allot of the time it happens for no apparent reason.

Having said this there are many common reasons why it does happen time after time, the most common being because of a lack in fibre in your dog's body which is what makes the feces softer and easier to pass through the body. Other symptoms also include:

1. Chicken bones or other painful obstructions causing scraping in the rectum and the dog not wanting to pass feces due to the pain.

2. Excess hair from grooming more than normal causing harder feces which may be due to more itching and scratching than normal caused by pests.

3. Rectal diverticulum, this is caused when the walls of the rectum next to the anus become stretched and weaker. With this area now weak, any pushing against it may cause a bulge to develop and then when this is pushed out further again it causes a blind ending pocket with nowhere for the feces to go. The pain then increases every time feces are passed because the pocket will become larger and the feces becomes dry and hard.

4. Other conditions such as colitis and rectal tumors or growths.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

In most cases the mass of the feces can be lowered by pumping some fluid into the rectum to help release the blockage (enema). Once this is done your vet may want to examine the feces to find the reason for the problem and select the best way to prevent future dyschezia.

If hair is the problem then other conditions such as fleas and mites might be the base of the problem and they should be cured first and the same when colitis or rectal growths are the cause.

If a weakness or hernia in the dog is caused by the straining of passing feces than an operation may also be done to correct this condition.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Dyschezia (Straining to Pass Feces)
Dog Peri-Anal Fistulas (Anal Inflammation and Infection)